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Explosion destroys two food carts in Portland, Oregon; Incident makes 'Inside Edition'

October 20, 2017

Two food carts were destroyed when an explosion erupted, burning several cars in a parking lot in downtown Portland, Oregon, according to oregonlive.com. Two people suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene, according to a firefighter.

The TV Show, "Inside Edition," covered the explosion in a report, calling it a "massive explosion" and presented footage showing the fire spreading to nearby parked cars. "Inside Edition" presented other examples of food trucks that caught fire, including one that was fatal. 

"Inside Edition" reported that the propane and food truck industries said such incidents are rare, and that critics are calling for alternative fuels like natural gas to cook food.

The fire began at one cart, then spread to the other one, in the parking lot near Southwest First Avenue and Columbia Street, according to oregonlive.com. Three minutes after the fire started, an explosion shook nearby buildings. Firefighters were already on the scene when the explosion occurred.

Wind caused the flames to reach at least 10 cars in the lot.

Two food carts, Lai Thai and The Greek Gods Gyro, were destroyed. The fire did not reach a third cart in the pod, Taqueria So Mexican.

The fire was caused when a food cart employee spilled gasoline while filling a generator, said Capt. Louisa Jones of the Portland Fire & Rescue. The generator was not running at the time, but was hot. Workers were unable to douse the flames with fire extinguishers.

Jones said explosions occurred when two propane tanks ruptured during the fire.